Trajectory Foundation is celebrating its 5th year anniversary by honoring the impact that our donor community has on our HBCU scholarship winners. We hope you will take a few minutes of your time to learn more about how our mission is enacted directly from students, donors and the Board of Directors.
Davi’Ana Kirkland is a senior at Clark Atlanta University and has been a Trajectory Scholarship student for the past two academic years. When she offered up the opportunity to talk to our current and potential donors about the impact of choosing an HBCU and the importance of the Trajectory scholarship, we jumped at the opportunity. Davi’Ana outlines her journey to get to college, the impact of our scholarship funding, and her plans for the future. In the discussion, Davi’Ana mentions an article written about her that helped her get some initial funding for college. You can access that article via the Reno Gazette Journal.
At Trajectory Foundation, our donors contribute DIRECTLY to amazing students just like Davi’Ana. Be part of our community by donating today.
Good Afternoon Rich,
I hope you and everyone at the Trajectory Foundation had an amazing holiday season full of relaxation and love. I want to thank you immensely for believing in me and selecting me as a Trajectory Foundation Scholar.
As a student from Hampton, Virginia, moving to Greensboro, North Carolina, for college has been a huge transition. I was excited to live in a new environment, but I was also admittedly scared. I didn’t know too many of my peers, and I was initially overwhelmed with the number of academic and social opportunities available. Throughout my first few weeks on campus, I often caught myself thinking “Wow, I am really in college!” The feeling of walking around my HBCU and seeing so many Black students who all have a common goal of graduating and creating a better future for our communities has been surreal.
As the semester continued, I began settling in and becoming more comfortable with my academics and campus involvement. In hindsight, one of my best decisions was creating a study schedule that involved going to the library twice a week. This played a large role in helping me finish the semester on the Chancellor’s list, which is an accomplishment that I am extremely proud of. I also joined two organizations named Men on The Move and Virginia Aggies that helped me connect with some amazing people. With Men on The Move, I participated in fulfilling community service events that involved planting trees, maintaining our campus community garden, and stocking school supplies at our local teacher warehouse.
Being selected for the Trajectory Foundation scholarship has truly been a blessing. It has removed a large financial burden off of family, which has allowed me to focus on my education and transition to college. Although I am growing increasingly comfortable, I still have a lot more to learn and experience. I look forward to having an even better Spring semester. Thank you so much for investing in my future and making my dream of higher education possible. I will forever be grateful.
With Gratitude,
– Darrian B.
My name is Shyteonnah P and I am a Biology major at North Carolina A&T State University. I first would like to send a huge Thank You for the time, energy, and donations that have been put into this Foundation. They have made it possible for students such as myself to have the opportunity to attend some of the best HBCUs in the country. There aren’t really enough words to express the abundance of my gratitude and how much of a difference this scholarship has made in my first year of college alone. It was a major source of support and final push in me being able to attend a college of genuine interest without having a huge financial burden placed on my family. In a way it solidified what seemed to be impossible becoming possible especially as a first generation college student.
Entering into my Sophomore year and recapping my first year of undergrad I can say the experience that I had has sent my appreciation to the moon. As a California native there was a major leap of faith taken to relocate to the other side of the country alone. The change in the environment was/is something I’ve never had the opportunity to experience before. I can definitely say that I feel myself being shaped as a young Black woman from academics to who I am as a person and what I stand for, for the better. From the people I’ve encountered, to the sense of community, and genuine care many professors have, I’m beyond thankful to be able to be attending my HBCU.
Your contributions have also influenced me to look forward to being able to donate to the foundation after undergrad and pay it forward. To know that there’s someone in the world that believes in your success without even meeting you is pretty beautiful to fathom and it’s helped me believe more in myself as well in this journey. For that I am forever grateful to everyone involved at the Trajectory Foundation for turning my dream into reality.
With Much Appreciation,
Shyteonnah P.
